Soldier Field Being Re-Sodded After Concerts Damage Grass Field

Bears Exec Says Re-Sodding Of Soldier Field Has Been Planned All Along

The grass surface at Soldier Field is "being replaced this week before the Bears' home opener" Sunday against the Steelers after two U2 concerts last weekend at the stadium "damaged the field," according to Dan Pompei of the CHICAGO TRIBUNE. The re-sodding of Soldier Field is "not a surprise to the Bears, and they said they are not overly concerned about it." Bears Senior Dir of Corporate Communications Scott Hagel: "This has been planned all along. And it isn't unusual. Before every regular-season opener, portions of the field are re-sodded." The sod in the past has had "up to two weeks to take if it is laid after the Bears' final exhibition game and the Bears open the regular season on the road." But the sod this year "will have only five days." Some players, including Bears TE Desmond Clark, have "complained about the playing surface at Solider Field." Hagel said that the team "would not put players at risk by asking them to perform on a dangerous field." The goal is to have the re-sodding "completed by midweek, and then to leave it untouched until Sunday morning" (CHICAGO TRIBUNE, 9/16). Bears RB Matt Forte said he is "definitely concerned about" the field. Forte: "I just hope the field is set in" (ESPNCHICAGO.com, 9/15).

PAYTON'S PLACE: In Chicago, Fred Mitchell notes late Pro Football HOFer Walter Payton's family and friends are "determined to have a statue of Payton placed just outside Soldier Field." For weeks, they have been "involved in talks with the Chicago Park District," but so far they have "gained no ground." A Payton family spokesperson said that Chicago Park District officials "explained that Soldier Field and the area surrounding it is to be preserved strictly as a memorial to war veterans." There also is "concern a Payton statue outside of Soldier Field might diminish the stature of other former Bears Hall of Famers" (CHICAGO TRIBUNE, 9/16).